There's Something in the Sea
A viral website called "There's Something in the Sea" was released on March 4th, 2009, giving hints and clues about BioShock 2, the sequel to BioShock. Phase One Day One A kidnapping of a little girl in Liscannor, County Clare, Ireland, is reported in the local newspaper dated February 20, 1967. The kidnapper is reported to have "incredible speed," "wore some kind of red light" and "wears a miner's helmet." There is also a description of a strange "toy" found on the beach. The description matches the Big Daddy toy seen in the trailer. Day Two Jeremiah Lynch is reported to have taken photographs of mysterious footprints on Lehnich Beach on February 17, 1967. Lynch says the product "may be of a culture entirely separate from those we know." He is regarded as an eccentric and has also previously told the local authorities of "mysterious crimson lights" under the surface of Liscannor Bay. A photograph of the footprints is enclosed, together with a ribbon and a score down the sand. An average man's shoe is placed beside it for comparison. A letter from Jeremiah Lynch is also enclosed to an unnamed person, dated February 9, 1967. Day Three On March 15, 1967, it was mentioned that a sighting of a 'red underwater flare' occurred in Felixstowe Harbor in Suffolk, England, by a ship bound for New York. This was quickly reported with a general SOS; the National Guard believed the sighting to be a hoax, with no wreckage discovered or ships reported missing and sonar could not find anything resembling a submersible vehicle in the area. A child, Mary Elizabeth Sarsfield, was also kidnapped that night at 2:30 A.M. by an unknown assailant. The unknown commentator deduces that 'whatever it is...it's taking our children (crossed out and replaced with 'daughters').' The mention of glass-cutting tools seems to have been implemented by the kidnapper. On February 22, 1967, Ulrike Moeller was stolen from her parents in St. Cloud, France, wherein French authorities promised to work with West Germany to uncover the abductor. The commentator deduces that everything is connected and notices that all of the little girls are physically similar to one another, with the question of "WHY?" written in the margin of a newspaper clipping. Day Four 4/4/67 6 year old Chantal Dumas is kidnapped from her orphanage in West Flanders. The kidnapper is described as a "skinny monster with a single red glowing eye." who exited with the child through a third story building. The unknown commentator deduces that all the girls are of a similar age. 4/11/67: A newspaper reports that Camillie Dumas, aged 6 is kidnapped in La Rocchelle, France. She was in bed when the au pair walked out for a cigarette and came back to find the child missing. The unknown commentator has pinned a note which says "Camille Dumas disappeared same night as the red lights in La Rochelle harbour." 4/11/67 a newspaper reports that mysterious red lights in the harbour causes a newly wed couple to alert the authorities, who accuse them of being drunk and influenced by the reports in England and Belgium. A something in the sea poster is enclosed as well as a Missing Poster for Camille Dumas. The commentator has noted that she wore a pink nightgown at the time of the kidnap. Day Five First, a familiar red string appears, similar to the "Would you kindly" board outside Ryan's office. Ghost lights near Cadiz spotted as fast as a speedboat on the shore line, dated 5/23/67 and "Red Glow" is circled. Small crumpled note "doesn't anyone notice the patterns." "Patterns" is circled in red. Article dated 5/5/1967 - Boatman dodged ghost sub, the sub rocked his boat as it passed it the Douro river. The boat is a rabelo boat. Note states that it is not a sub, due to the fact the red light is on in and out of the water. Makes a note that it is something in the water repeated twice. Missing girl La Boca Spain dated 4/24/67. Elena Rodrigues missing after a break in at age 6. 4/23/1967 Red Glow alarms Spanish fisherman. Red glow seen moving toward town and boot prints spotted. Day Six 6/14/67 A snippet of a newspaper reports that a "mysterious red light" circled the Golden Queen, a cruise ship. "Moving West" is written down in black ink. - The US Coast guard sights a "fast-moving red light" under the surface near the Virgin Islands. "Time lull - where did it go? Where is H.Q?" and "It's headed toward U.S" is written in blue ink. - Jennifer Walker aged 5 is taken from her holiday bungalow in Puerto Rico. 6/17/67 A "Mark Meltzer" receives a letter from the Philadelphia Observer dismissing his findings on the red lights and kidnappings as "sensation" and advises him to seek professional help. A note on "patterns" is also enclosed. Day Seven A newspaper article reports the spread of the "mysterious red light" to areas around Florida, with speculation that it may originate from an enemy submarine. A witness tells of a track of footprints that resemble heavily clad military boots, this description is underlined with "PICTURES!!!!" and "do they match Ireland?" added by the commentator. A further witness of the red light suspects soviets from Cuba are behind it, however part of the quote is struck through with the addition of "WRONG WRONG WRONG". A second article mentions three kidnappings that have occurred within one week. The first half of the story reports that police from three cities are working together as each kidnapping incident was similar. The words "female victims aged five to seven during a seven day period." have been underlined and "It's getting Bolder" added. The second part of the article says that the victims' parents each reported a break-in after midnight, usually through a window with the glass being cut with precision. 7/14/67 A police report of a further break-in and kidnapping of Melinda Jelenski, in which the mother of the victim describes the assailant as having a red light possibly attached to its head, she goes on to say that the kidnapper was tall limber and athletic. Another section of the report places the kidnappers height at 6'10", this is circled and "How tall is it???" is scrawled next to the height. The description also mentions that "Jelenski glimpsed pointed weapon or tool, poss. resembling 'sword.'" (sic) Day Eight The front page of a tabloid newspaper has the headline "Sea creature stealing children on the New Jersey coast - Red lights seen during abductions". This is accompanied by a somewhat blurred black and white snapshot of the assailant, it shows part of the figure possibly wearing a helmet matching the 'Big Sister' picture found on the front cover of Game Informer magazine (April '09). The annotator notes that only 'kooks' will believe this story now it has been reported in a tabloid. 7/25/67 A letter addressed to Mark Meltzer from the House of Representatives thanks him for information relating to the mystery submarines, but dismisses the evidence, drawing the conclusion that the lights are in fact the same UFO's which are under investigation by the Air Force. The annotator in turn dismisses the letters claims as "Unrelated!!!" and "...nothing to do with flying saucers". Mr. Meltzer is also told that his information has been relayed to both ONI and the Air Force, with the addition that he should contact the FBI about the kidnapping incidents. A piece of paper with torn out kidnapping and red light headlines stuck to it with the relevant dates is also present. The bottom of the paper has the comment "It's moving faster now... I can barely keep up!" written on it. Day Nine Documentation from the ONI is pinned on the map consisting of released 'Top Secret' information meant for the commentators eyes only. It contains a list of sightings and abductions, indicating a possible 34 incidents altogether. One of the documents entitled "abstract" mentions a "possible connection to no-go zone at----long dismissed as a conspiracy theory-----disappearance of business magnate Andrew Ryan------" certain words have been blanked out, but it seems to indicate that Andrew Ryan managed to secure the area around Rapture as a no-go zone before creation of Rapture. 8/14/67 A letter from a father whose child has gone missing is also enclosed, asking the commentator for help finding his daughter. Day Ten 9/28/67 A single letter addressed to Roscoe Inman of ONI from our commentator Mark Meltzer. The letter praises Inman for his patience, as those with higher authority have been blocking his reports. Enclosed with his letter, Meltzer has added recent information on their "traveler"; information on sightings and kidnappings. Meltzer anticipates that the next place to be hit will be St. John in New Brunswick and intends to go to keep watch in the area. He ends the letter saying that his stake out is "Probably a waste of time, but I'm frustrated with inaction. I can't sleep anymore. I lie wake, haunted by the watchful eyes of those poor lost girls... waiting for us to find them." 10/1/67 A note indicates Mark waited for 3 nights before taking pictures of red lights in the harbour and then the Big Sister. He also believes that the Big Sister may have seen and possibly followed him. Phase Two The site updates to Mark Meltzer's study. The map of disappearances is on the wall, and there are many documents strewn on the floor. Day One On the desk are two X-Rays they show Mark has broken ribs and a broken leg. Both are dated 04-25-1968 and made in an New York Hospital. On the filling cabinet is a bottle of cohydrone pills to be taken 3 times daily for pain and there are a pair of crutches on the other side of the room. On the desk there is a Mother's day card that never got sent. Mark has written the following: "Amanda, You were right... it might be my fault that she's gone. But I never gave up on her. You lost hope. And if we both lose hope... we lose her forever. With love(still) Mark." The card is dated 5-12-1968. There is also a picture of Amanda and his daughter on the desk, written on it is "Amanda and my little darling. Family photo, spring '67." A divorce letter is found on the right side of the room, dated April 29, 1968 and delivered May 20, 1968. Amanda is divorcing Mark because he "through both deed and neglect, did recklessly endanger the safety and well-being of his spouse and family." Day Two Three pictures have appear in the middle of the room, the top one shows his daughter on a horse, the note written on the back says "Riding near grandma's, my brave little girl... last picture” dated 10-21-67. The one on the left shows his daughter and Amanda around a birthday cake, having a birthday party. The message scrawled on the back says "3rd b'day. Growing faster than a bad weed!” dated 8-25-64. The picture on the right shows his daughter on the beach getting ready to dig a sandcastle. writings: "My daughter the architect, getting ready to build the castle!" dated 7-4-63. There is a message from Phil (NUFOS) on his answering machine, he is wondering if everything is ok as he hasn’t heard from Mark for some time and asks Mark to contact him. Finally there is now a letter in his mail slot. It says "Phil: Thanks for the books but please don’t send any more big pkgs to the P.O. box. Cards and letters only. My leg is broken and it’s a drag to haul stuff home. Call you back soon - Meltzer.” Day Three Three photos have appeared on the right hand side of the room, the top one shows Mark's daughter as a baby. Written on the back is "Dec. '61 Amanda's smile - my hairline! The picture on the left shows his daughter with her thumbs up in a room, possibly the study shown on the website. The note on the back says "My little helper" (hands off the books!) '65 spring.” The picture on the right shows his daughter buried in the sand up to her neck. The back says "Peace at last! Labor Day - Montaur '65” Finally there is a new message on the answering machine: "Meltzer, Inman here, just found out about your accident - call me ASAP and give me the brief. I'm hoping you've got some kind of assessment of what we're up against. And *sigh* if you found any leads regarding your daughters whereabouts let me know if there's anything I can do on this end. Still monitoring intel, but it's dead quiet, we got zero for weeks now." Day Four There is no message on the answering machine. 3 new documents appear on the wall. The first is a letter to Lynch telling him to send all new information to Mark's new address*. Lynch has apparently been sending him news related to Atlantis/Lemuria. The second is a newspaper clipping detailing the kidnapping of Cindy A Meltzer, Mark and Amanda's daughter, dated 5-27-1967. Finally, the third is a sketch of the Big Sister, the cause of Mark's broken leg and ribs. It is hinted that the Big Sister may have let him live. This incident appears to have happened a while after Cindy got kidnapped. On the floor is a crumpled letter to Roscoe, never sent, giving further details of his daughter's kidnapping. It states "I can't do this anymore. Going to send you all my data. Maybe you can pick up where I left off." The letter is dated 11-23-1967. On the left hand side of the room is a document stating that Meltzer has had a complete psychiatric examination and has been discharged from Tollevue hospital. It is dated 3-6-68. *The address is apparently important and fans can send letters to Mark. Day Five A new message is heard on the answering machine: Hey Meltzer, remember me? Dectective Benny Stango. Y’know, the guy who's looking for ya daughter? Hear d you got yourself banged up pretty good, crawling around the docks at 3 in the morning. Hey, I’m sure you’ve got some perfectly reasonable explanation-creature from the black lagoon swimming in the Hudson. Well, gimme a call and let me know what happened. Who knows, I might even believe ya. Friggin’ nutbag. There is also a new letter to Roscoe in front of the typewriter. After being detained at Tollevue, Mark went searching for the Big Sister, and found her near the Hudson river, where he managed to catch her with a net. The Big Sister escaped by slicing through the net and scratched Mark's neck, before snapping his ribs. He says he was saved by the a cab driver who took a wrong turn, the headlights scared her off. The Big Sister may also have stolen his wallet, or a passer by. Day Six The office has been cleaned up; there are now no papers on the floor, and all the clippings and pictures have been re-attached to the map. A new message is heard on the answering machine. It from Benny Stango: Hey Meltzer old buddy, it’s Benny Stango. I’m startin’ to get worried about ya. Neighbours are telling me they saw some kind of red light flashing around your place the other night. Ya don’t know anything about that, do ya? Gimme a call. At the station. TODAY. A mysterious box covered in symbols also appears. There is a puzzle on how to open it. There is also a letter on the bottom right of the telephone table by Mark saying. "She was here? how did she find me? Why no attack? What is this thing? weapon? Improvised bomb? What do all these symbols mean?" The code to open the box and the meaning of the symbols can be found at: http://forums.2kgames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=447948&postcount=27 The box contains child pictures of the big sister and little sister, as well as other bits and bobs related to rapture such as masks the splicers wear. Day Eight Roscoe leaves the following message on Meltzer's answering machine: Meltzer, this is Roscoe Inman. I received your message, but I’m in the field on an ONI assignment and I haven’t been able to access a private line before now. Look, I think you should take all this with a grain of salt. Remember your story’s been in the newspaper. This recent contact may not even be connected to the abductions. It could be some cruel trick or someone attempting to manipulate you. To what ends I won’t conjecture. Anyway, take it under advisement, I have to go. There is a mysterious glow behind the stack of books to the left of Meltzer's filing cabinet. Seems to be a window or some opening since the color of the light is the same as what is viewed outside of his door's windows. The aforementioned box is also somewhat close to the light, maybe within arm's reach even. Day Nine Phil leaves a message on the answering machine. Meltzer, Phil Isadore here from the national ufo society, I wanted to get back to you right away and no no I’m not aware of any of any languages or codes associated with any aquatic or ariel sighting; of course I’m not really sure why you’re asking. Oh but, I just got back from a big conference and I’ve got some exciting new information to share with you. I’ve heard about this story before but well, until I read it myself, I didn’t realised just how much it could tie in with all the phenomena we’ve been discussing. I’ve mailed it to your PO Box and when you get it, well you know just kind of ignore the source, sometimes with this material people have to reveal the information anyway they can. So take a look, we’ll chat soon. On the table by the door there are two new items, a letter and a newspaper cutting. The newspaper cutting is a story about a wrecked, futuristic city. A man is wielding a ‘cold, iron aluminium bat’. He is in a plaza of steel arches and deserted stores, when he sees something ‘almost the same size and shape as a chipmunk with wide, vacant eyes.’ A ‘Juicer’ leaps from a shattered window and is described as having ‘angular arms and spindly legs, with chalky, sunken cheeks’. It approaches the chipmunk when it screams. Then a ‘Patri-Arhk’ a large robot in ‘dull grey armour, with a steel forged skull’ with a drill on its right arm. The chipmunk and the Patri-Arhk leave and the narrator leaves his hiding place to look at the Juicer who had once been his friend and stares around at the city and remembers when he first arrived of the ‘promise of a man-made paradise. And that promise had been betrayed.’ It was written by R. Killian Quain. The second item is a letter from Phil explaining the story, R. Killian Quain is a science fiction writer who ‘showed up from nowhere came with an elaborate, wholly formed mythology involving submerged cities, robotic warriors and other – wild stuff!’ The editor of ‘Visionary Wonder Stories’, Lex Harlen’ turned up at various nufos meeting and implied that the stories were ‘factual reports of channelled versions’. The last paragraph of the letter says that Quain showed up from nowhere and that he vanished into thin air, rumours are that he went ‘spectacularly mad’, but no-one actually knows what happened. It ends with ‘I’m sure you will notice some peculiar parallels to the phenomenon we’ve encountered!’ Mark has made several annotations, once again questioning the sanity of the nufos and saying that he cannot be bothered to read the story. Day Ten There is a message from Mark’s wife, Amanda. Mark, This is Amanda and I’ve got your message..and I don’t know what to tell you. I.. I don’t know how you’re gonna find her. It’s…I don’t know how to say it Mark, it’s.. it’s delusional. It’s been 7 months, I think we have to face reality. I think we both know……we both know. I got a call from Dr. Lyman the other day. I think you should call him. Goodbye Mark. There are two new items on the floor of the central study, one is a photograph of the megaliths in Carrowmore, Ireland.http://www.myguideireland.com/carrowmore-megalithic-cemetery The second is from Jeremiah Lynch, who is ‘pleased to be back in the loop’, he suggests that the symbols are a cipher of some sort, he also suggests that it may be an ancient language of some sort but this has been crossed out by Mark with the caption ‘Right the first time’. He then gives information on ‘his area of expertise, the megalithic structures of the region.’ Mark has wrote ‘NOT AGAIN’ next to this. He talks of an ‘advanced pre-Babylonian civilization described as Atlantis which has survived in secrecy into the modern era.’ He claims that ‘this theory – and only this theory – can account for several lingering mysteries, including the ‘Vanishings’ (Andrew Ryan and the people who left for Rapture) in the post war era, Mark has written ‘Investigate and circled ‘Vanishings’. He then goes into detail but Mark has crossed it out and wrote ‘CRACKPOT!!!’ He ends by saying his advice is always available, Mark writes ‘HAH!’ and if he needs to ask for further information. Day Eleven There is no new message on the answering machine. However, Mark has left two notes behind; one on the floor and one on the desk. He has managed to open the box. The note on the floor appears to be his attempt at cracking the code and his initial thoughts on the items inside it. Mark is confused. He believes that the drawings and the note are his daughter’s work, but acknowledges that “it could be forged.” He has also written-“I need proof that she’s alive. I need to know WHERE SHE IS…I NEED PROOF.” The second note on the table seems to be written sometime later. He does not understand what is happening-”They’ve taken all those little girls… and changed them. BUT INTO WHAT? AND WHY?” He appears to misinterpreted the drawing above, believing that there is a “shark in the sky” and "angels and monsters." He fears that Cindy is suffering from hallucinations. Mark believes that the note and drawings in the box are Cindy’s handwork, but “Someone is forcing her to say these things…to DRAW these things.” Finally Mark has written “I don’t know who I can trust with this…I’ve taken too many risks already..with every move from here on out…my daughter’s life is on the line.” Day Twelve There is a new message from Phil Isidore: Mark, you asked about the “Vanishing” the other day. OK, what I think you’re referring to is, right after World War 2 there was this wave of disappearances all over America-I mean all over Europe, heck, all over the world! We’re talking some pretty prominent individuals-doctors, scientists, up and coming artists, successful businessmen. At the time it all got suspiciously ignored by the newspapers. But the weird thing is- we’re talking 1946-1947-and you know what else is going on? Bingo! All the breakthrough sightings: Mount Rainier, Maury Island, Roswell. Coincidence? I think not! Anyway, some hippie magazine did a cover story on the "Vanishing" this month. Check it out! The papers from Day Eleven have been tided and placed on the typewriter. Mark's hat is left on the chair. To the right of the room is a camera and binoculars. His crutches are left against the bookshelf and on top of that is a another recording device. Day Thirteen There is no new message on the answering machine. The paper from Day Eleven had been placed across from the typewriter. It is not made clear why. To the left of the door on the table, there are two new papers which appear to have been ripped out of a book called "The Monthly Undergrounder." Both papers talk about the "Vanishing" mentioned by Phil Isidore. The papers talk about the vanishings occurring during the years of 1946 to 1950, during the wake of World War II. Day Fourteen Their is a new message from Detective Stango: Yo Meltzer. Detective Stango here. So I’ve been hearing about weird goings on at all hours of the night. I gotta admit Meltzer, which struck me a little funny. Guy’s studying the disappearance of little girls all over the place, and then his own kid gets kidnapped. Still trying to connect the dots on that one. Hey you know, it just could be the coincidence of the friggin’ century, or it could be you know something you ain’t tellin’. Let’s just say maybe I’m ready to believe you Meltzer. Maybe we oughta have a little conversation. Frankly, I’d rather do this easy. But if I don’t get my druthers as you know, we could always do it right. You think about that Meltzer. There is now a sheet on the desk near the right wall. It appears to be Mark's thoughts on the Vanishing articles, the sheet references some familiar names like Steinman,Suchong,and Langford. He marks a twenty year range between 1947 to 1967 as the time of the "Vanishing" and wonders if there is a connection worth pursuing. Day Fifteen Their is a new message from Roscoe Inman: Meltzer, this is Inman. I know I promised you materials on the missing person's situation but... Look, I wanted to warn you. ONI has been under lock-down after recent events. They have us prepping files on potential dissidence. Unstable personalities. Paranoia is running high at all levels. I'd advise you to maintain a low profile, and watch your back. Located on the floor to the right of the desk is a paper which talks about an NYC professor searching for J. S. Steinman. Day Sixteen There is a an article in German posted on the wall, translated it reads:"Persons remain a mystery. Even after twenty years, hundreds of cases involving missing persons remain unresolved. In the chaos of World War II and during the restructuring of government, local officials and American authorities received hundreds of reports on missing persons. It was thought that the missing persons had fled the country. Yet today, a new movement requests the government to review the cases once again." (Translation thanks to Electro-Bolt and Dynastes of 2K forums) There is also a thank you letter to Jeremiah Lynch and 3 letters promising to help Mark in his investigation. These are letters written by the fans themselves and sent to Mark's PO Box. Day Seventeen There is article about mysterious going ons at Turtle Beach in Cairn, Australia, 1947. 3 people, Doctor Miller, Kyburz and May J Carmody stood on the beach with there belongings, before a red light was seen beneath the surface heading towards them. They vanished. In the typewriter is Mark's musings on looking for information in international newspapers, and seeing a little girl singing in the park. It reminds him of Cindy. Her father picks her up. The description echoes the interaction between Little Sisters and Big Daddies. Next to the typewriter is the torn piece of a Chinese or Japanese newspaper, reporting on a missing Dr Suchong. It is dated December 1946. To the right, is a article about Langford's disappearance, dated 1949. To left is a newspaper article from the Times of Bombay. Many people are missing in the chaos of partition, including "Top young thinkers."